Never Meant To Be
by nk2000
Summary: Derek let out a deep breath and looked into the fire. “Yes, Casey. I think you should marry Noel.” Tears started to form in Casey’s eyes. “You do?” Derek and Casey have a talk in the middle of the night. AngstDasey and some Nasey
1. Chapter 1

Never Meant To Be

A/N: Hey there! This is my first fanfic! I'm really into Life With Derek right now, and I really like Dasey! This story just came to me a couple weeks ago, so I thought I'd write it and see how it turned out! It may not be very good, but what the heck, at least I tried! That's all for now… go read!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Life With Derek. Wish I did, but wishes don't always come true do they? Cause if they did, I know Michael Seater would be sitting next to me right now… :sigh:**

It was a cool, summer night at the McDonald-Venturi household. Even though the four oldest children no longer lived there, the whole family was once again under the same roof.

25 year-old Derek Venturi, a professional hockey player, was living by himself in Toronto. 25-year-old Casey McDonald was living in the same town as her mom and step dad, but she lived by herself also. 22-year-olds Edwin Venturi and Lizzie McDonald were living in the same apartment building near their college. The youngest child, 15 years-old Marti Venturi, was the only one that was still living with her parents.

George and Nora decided it had been way too long since the whole family had been together. So they decided to have a mini "family reunion" before summer ended. They wanted to do something specialso they booked a vacation home for 2 weeks.

Surprisingly, it hadn't been too difficult to persuade the kids to come (with the minor exception with Derek- but that was expected.) After some schedule changes, the whole McDonald-Venturi family was all together again.

It was one in the morning when Derek heard the noise upstairs. Tomorrow everyone headed back to his or her respective homes and Derek figured everyone would be asleep, resting up for the busy day ahead. He was surprised when he saw his stepsister, Casey sit down next to him on the couch, in front of the fire.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," Derek responded.

"So... tomorrow vacation officially ends huh?" Casey asked.

"Actually, it ends today. It's already one," Derek replied.

"Oh. Right," Casey said with a quick glance at the clock on the wall. "So what are you doing up now anyways?"

"Couldn't sleep." Derek stated simply, "You?"  
"Same. Then I heard some noise downstairs, and I came down to investigate. I saw you, and now here we are."

"Yup, here we are…"

"This was fun wasn't it?" Casey asked.

"You know, it actually was."

"There were a bunch of good memories."

"Like Edwin's face when he fell into the pool- classic!" Derek laughed.

Casey giggled, "Or when that frog ended up in my mom's purse."

Derek chuckled, "As great as those moments were, none of them can compare to when you ran into that lady at the restaurant and spilled your drink all over her, then backed up into that waiter with a full tray, causing him to drop his food all over you!"

"Hey!" Casey playfully punched Derek on the shoulder. "That was not funny! It was embarrassing! It was mortifying! It was-"

"The return of Klutzilla!" Derek laughed.

Casey joined him in laughing, "Yeah, it totally was."

"Guess some things never change huh?"

"Guess not. Like our parents being clueless-"

"Or Edwin trying to make a quick buck-"

"Or our plans never working out-"

"Or… you being beautiful." Derek said softly. Casey looked up at him and gave him a gentle smile. "But you know, some things do change. Like me."

"Like you?" Casey laughed. "How?"

"I am way more mature than I used to be. I act like a responsible adult now!"

"Please! Mature my butt! I _saw_ you trip Edwin when he was staring at that girl by the pool..."

"Come on! That was so easy! It's would've been a sin to miss such a good opportunity!"

"And I saw you put that frog in my mom's purse when she set it down to adjust her sandals…"

"That frog was hopping by at that exact moment when she set it down! Again, it would've been wrong to miss such a good opportunity"

"And while I didn't actually see you, I'm sure you had something to do with my accident!"

"Actually, no. _That _was all you, Klutzilla!" Derek laughed, pointing a finger at Casey.

Casey rolled her eyes playfully. "Fine, but still! You pulled a bunch of pranks. You are not any more mature than you were in high school!"

"Guess not, but what can I say? That's part of being Derek… You wouldn't want that to change would you?"

"No." Casey sighed. "I wouldn't want you to change at all."

Derek smirked and playfully pushed her.

"So, do you regret coming here and spending 2 whole weeks with your little ol' family?" Casey asked teasingly.

Derek looked up and stared seriously into Casey's face. "Not even a little."

Derek and Casey just stared at each other for a few moments. Casey broke their gaze and looked on the ground. Derek turned to look into the fire and sighed. They sat there for a few comfortable seconds. Then, Casey started fidgeting and messing with her fingers. Derek looked over at her uncomfortable form and knew something was up.

"What is it?" he asked in a light tone.

"What?" she asked, jerking her gaze up to face her stepbrother.

"I know when something's bothering you. What is it?" he said in a firmer tone.

"It's just that… this is the first time we've all been together in almost 3 years! How long until the next one? It's really hard being away from everyone.

"Well, you live pretty close to home; you can see dad, Nora, and Marti as often as you want."

"Yeah, but what about Lizzie, Edwin," she paused. "You?"

"Hmm… well, how about we try to get together at the old house every two months?"

"That'd be better than once every two years…"

"Yeah!"

"But what if it doesn't work out?

"I promise it'll work out. Remember, what Derek wants, Derek gets." _Well, almost everything_, he thought.

"Thanks Derek," Casey said softly. Once again, they both sat in a comfortable silence for a couple minutes.

Neither Casey nor Derek knew the other was having a mental debate with their self, each wondering whether or not to tell the other. Just when Derek decided he had made up is mind, Casey beat him and broke the silence first.

"Noel asked me to marry him."

There was a deafening silence. Casey looked up at Derek expectantly. "Well?"

Derek swallowed hard. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Well what?"

"Well? What do you have to say?" Casey's voice was neither excited, nor mad. It was just sad.

"Um, congratulations."

Casey sighed, "That's not what I meant."

"Well, what do you want me to say, Casey?" Derek asked, his voice full of emotion.

Casey bit her lip. "I don't know."

After a moment Derek spoke.

"When did he ask?"

"Two days before mom asked me to come to this trip."

"Did you tell anyone?"

"Just you."

"Oh."

Casey stared at Derek for a second. Now she was getting frustrated.

"Aren't you even going to ask what I told him?"

"Oh. Of course. Well did you say yes?"

"I told him I had to think about it. There were some things I had to figure out first."

"Have you figured those things out yet?"

Casey looked into Derek's face. "Not yet."

"So what do you need to figure out?"

Casey took a deep breath.

"Derek, do you think I should marry Noel?"

Derek looked surprised. "You're asking _me_?"

Casey nodded her head.

"Well…Does he make you happy?"

Casey closed her eyes and nodded, "Yes."

"Does he make you feel safe?"

"Yes."

"Does he make you laugh?"

"Yeah."

"Do you have things in common?"

"A lot of things."

"Does he love you like you deserve to be loved?"

"Yes, he really does."

"Can you see yourself with him in the future? Leading a happy life?"

"I can."

Derek swallowed hard again.

"Do you truly love him?"

Casey opened her eyes and looked into Derek's face. Their faces shared a look of sadness.

"I really do." Casey said with a sad smile.

Derek let out a deep breath and looked into the fire.

"Yes, Casey. I think you should marry Noel."

Tears started to form in Casey's eyes. "You do?"

"Yeah. He's a decent guy. I've seen the way he looks at you. He'd never hurt you. I think… I think you two are a perfect match. You deserve each other."

"You honestly believe that, Derek?" Casey asked sadly.

Derek closed his eyes. "Yes Casey. I do."

"So… you really think I should marry Noel?" Casey's voice was obviously hurt.

"I _want_ you to marry Noel. He's a good guy who'll treat you right. I wouldn't want you to be with anyone else."

The tears started to fall. Casey quickly brushed them away.

"Ok. Well, I guess… I know where you stand on that. I… I think I'll tell him yes."

"Good." Derek said bluntly.

"Um. Well, it's late. I uh, should go back to bed now. Busy day ahead." Derek didn't say anything; he just continued to gaze into the flames.

Casey got up and looked at Derek's still form for about a few more moment before she quietly ascended up the stairs.

**A/N: Ok, this was going to be a long one shot, but I decided that I'd split it into 3 parts. Sorry if Derek or Casey were out of character, but remember, they **_**are**_** older now, so they are bound to have some personality changes over time! **

**Remember to review! **


	2. Derek's pain

**A/N: Hi again! So this is part 2 of this 3-part story. This mostly contains background information and Derek's thought about **_**certain **_**::cough:: things. **

Disclaimer: I still don't own Life with Derek. I know. What a big ass surprise.

"Noel asked me to marry him." Those 6 words shattered Derek's world.

"_She's getting married. She's getting married. She'll officially never be yours." _

That's all that was going through Derek's head as he stared intently into the fire.

"_Noel Covington is one hell of a lucky guy."_ He thought.

Derek loved Casey McDonald with all his heart. He had always had a thing for her- he just didn't know it until she started dated Noel in the middle of her junior year and she started to get really serious about him. Derek had gotten jealous every time he saw Casey and Noel together. That was when it hit him – he was completely and utterly head over heels in love with his stepsister. When Casey and Noel broke up at the end of their senior year, Derek had been ecstatic! He finally had the chance to tell her how he felt! But the whole summer, he always found an excuse to "tell her later". Basically, he was too much of a coward to tell her.

Then they both went off to different colleges. Derek figured he'd tell her the next time they went home for break. When Derek and Casey went home for spring break during their freshmen year of college, Casey announced that she and Noel had run into each other at school. Apparently they were attending the same college. That was when she got back together with Noel, and they had been together ever since.

After that, every time the whole family got together again, Casey would be happy and bubbly, saying her relationship with Noel was amazing. Derek hoped one day he'd find out they had broken up, but that day never happened. If anything, Casey and Noel seemed to be getting happier and stronger. Derek, not able to stand seeing Casey so happy with another man, stopped visiting during breaks and holidays. After that, Derek sort of drifted apart from the family. There was the occasional call here and there, but nothing much more than that. Once in a while he'd visit, but it was never more than a weekend. Little did Derek know, that once he stopped coming home, the whole family sort of drifted apart, especially after Lizzie and Edwin started going to college.

When his dad and Nora said they wanted to have a family reunion, at first, Derek didn't want to go. He knew seeing Casey would be too painful. But then, the night before he would meet up with his family for the vacation, he decided it was then or never. He would tell her how he felt about her during this trip. Knowing he'd probably get tongue-tied and stutter, he thought a letter would be much better way to convey his thoughts. So Derek wrote a long, thoughtful, romantic letter to Casey that explained his feelings and proclaimed his love for her. He had stayed up all night writing and perfecting this very important letter. After all, it could change his life. Derek remembered that he had stayed up until 3 in the morning, even though he had an early flight to catch the next morning, to go meet up with the family.

During the 2 weeks, Derek didn't find a single moment alone with Casey where he could give her the letter. There was always some other member of the family around, or the moment just wasn't right.

The night before everyone went home, he'd been upset that he'd chickened out once again and lost his second chance and was sulking. Then, out of nowhere, Casey came downstairs and they were finally alone! It was as if fate wanted him to confess and get it over with. After some mild chatting, Derek plucked up enough courage to give the letter to Casey that moment. He was going to give her that letter right when Casey dropped the bomb- Noel asked her to marry him.

He didn't know how to react. It was a big blow to his heart. Noel wanted Casey to marry him! MARRY! It couldn't get any more official than that. If Casey got married to Noel, they'd live together, have kids, and there'd be no chance Casey would ever think about her slacker stepbrother in any romantic way.

Derek was actually surprised when Casey told him that she hadn't given Noel an answer yet. Derek just assumed Casey would say yes right away. When Casey asked Derek for his opinion, he was even more surprised.

The first thought that crossed Derek's mind was "_This is your chance! She's not even engaged yet! Tell her! Tell her!"_ But that was when Derek had an epiphany. He'd never be good enough for Casey. Noel was the one for her. He knew that in the end, Casey would be better off with Noel Covington. Even though Derek was sure he loved Casey 100 times more than Noel ever could, Noel would provide a better life for Casey. Casey and Noel just fit together. Not Casey and Derek. Casey's the beautiful, smart, prefect perfectionist! Derek was just an immature, lazy, slacker who didn't know the meaning of responsibility.

That's why he told Casey he wanted her to marry Noel. And he'd meant it, all of it. Derek truly wanted Casey to marry Noel. Loving someone means you're willing to put the one you love ahead of yourself. And that was exactly what Derek was doing. Even though the idea of Casey being with Noel forever killed him, Derek was willing to go through the pain, if it meant that Casey would benefit. He knew it would be better this way.

Derek reached into his robe and pulled out an envelope that had "Casey" written on it. He looked at the letter for a moment before he kissed it.

"I will always love you." Derek whispered into the envelope. Then, he tossed it into the fire. Derek watched as the flames licked the envelope until it was nothing more than ashes.

"I guess it was never meant to be." Derek said softly to himself.

With that, he got up, walked slowly up the stairs, crept into the room he was sharing with Edwin and got his duffle bag. After changing his clothes, Derek tiptoed back down the stairs, with his duffle bag in hand. He slowly opened the front door and walked out, closing the door with a gentle click.

**A/N: Ok, ok, I personally found this kind of boring. So sorry. But, this was just how it turned out. The next chapter will be relatively the same, except with Casey's POV. And it might be shorter too, since there won't be as much background info (at least not as of right now). I also think I will continue this. Maybe make a sequel with a happy ending for our favorite couple. But no promises. **

**Remember to review! That's probably what will help me the most on whether or not to make a sequel- you guys! **

**Also, I was typing this kind of in a hurry; so let me know if there were any spelling mistakes or anything else. **

**Thanks! (And review!)**


	3. Casey's pain

A/N: Hey! I'm back with the third and final part of this trilogy. This chapter is very similar to the last chapter. Just gives some more background and Casey's point of view. Oh, and because I wanted some dialogue, I added a flashback. Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: Um yeah. Don't own Life with Derek. Go figure.

"_Yes, Casey. I think you should marry Noel."_ Those words answered a question that had been on Casey's mind for nearly 8 years.

Casey McDonald was in love with her stepbrother, Derek Venturi. No one could have predicted that Casey would ever fall for the obnoxious teenaged boy she was forced to live with when her mom married his father, most of all, Casey. She disliked him from the moment she laid her eyes on him and his infamous smirk. They were total opposites. She was organized, thoughtful, and took school seriously. He was messy, selfish, and couldn't care about school any less.

At least, that was what Casey thought about Derek at first. After living with Derek for a little over a year, Casey realized that Derek had more to him than what he showed on the outside. Sometimes, he actually showed signs of caring about others. He would even swallow his pride and do a thing or two for Casey that was in her best interest.

This was obvious at the beginning of their junior year. Turned out that Max had been cheating on Casey with his ex-girlfriend, Amy. The news had been all over the school and Casey had been humiliated and even more devastated. Casey remembered the day where Derek showed he truly cared about. It was that day she started to develop her feelings for Derek.

_(Flashback)_

_Casey walked into Smelly Nellie's after a particularly bad day. It'd been 3 weeks since she broke up with Max after finding out he was cheating on her, and people were still coming up to her asking odd questions about the break up. The questions had gotten weirder and weirder with every passing day. That day, 3 people had come up to her, one asking if it was true that Max had been engaged to Amy for 2 weeks behind Casey's back. Casey decided she'd go to Smelly Nellie's to just relax. _

_Casey sat down at a table. Derek was working at that time and came over to her._

"_Hey. You look kinda down. What's up?" Derek asked her, walking up to her table and sitting down across from her._

_Casey sighed and folded her hands on her lap. "Just, you know. Today wasn't a very good day."_

"_Well, we can change that! We can start with me waiting on you! You always love that." Derek said standing up. _

_Casey laughed and for the first time that day, her eyes lit up a little. "That is true. I find it quite enjoyable when you have to listen to me."_

"_Yeah, you might. You don't know how much it pains me to actually listen to you. It goes against my nature to do the exact opposite." _

"_And I find it entertaining to watch you struggle."_

"_Oh, well look at that. Ms. Goody-Two-Shoes likes to watch people in pain. Not very nice is it?"_

"_Hey, I never said I was an angel. Most people just assume that."_

"_Pshh, yeah? Well I know better. I know how you think in there McDonald."_

"_Oh do you, Venturi?"_

"_Yes I do." Casey smiled at Derek while he smirked back._

_Derek cleared his throat. "So Ms. McDonald, what would you like today?"_

_Casey picked up the menu and pretended to decide what to order. "What would you recommend?"_

"_You want __**me**__ to recommend __**you**__ something?"_

_Casey laughed. "I know it's kind of risky but-" then she stopped mid sentence. Her eyes were focused on something behind Derek._

_He turned around to see Max and Amy sitting at a table, holding hands._

_Derek inwardly cringed and turned back to face Casey. The laughter that was in her eyes moments ago was gone, replaced with dull emptiness. _

"_Um… I'll just have a glass of water please." Casey said without any emotion._

"_Casey, just ignore them-"_

_Casey cut him off. "Derek, please. I don't want to talk about it."_

_Derek sighed and left the table. When he returned to give Casey her glass, he saw Amy and Max both looking in Casey's direction. He then heard Amy say with a sneer, "Are you stalking us or something? Max chose me over you, all right? Leave us alone! It's bad enough you're always looking at us at school, now you're following us outside of school? You're so pathetic!"_

_Casey's eyes were obviously tearing up. She got up and went to walk towards the door. Derek quickly put down the glass of water and literally chased after Casey. He grabbed her arm and stopped her._

_Casey looked up at Derek with pleading eyes. "Please. Derek, please. Let me go. I want to go. Derek, I NEED to go!" _

_Derek just looked at her for a second. He walked towards Max and Amy, pulling Casey along with him, though she was obviously resisting. "De-REK!" Casey cried._

_Derek ignored her. "Ok, look here lady, Casey is NOT pathetic. What's pathetic is being so desperate that you're willing to be with a guy who already has a girl. What, no other guy can stand you? Or are you just so easy that other guys don't bother?" Amy gasped. Max turned to Derek. _

"_Watch what you say about my girl! What's your problem man? I don't understand why people think you're cool! You're so… lame! "_

"_Wow. That was a great insult. Did you come up with that on your own?"_

_Max gritted his teeth. "Why do you care? Everyone knows you hate Casey anyways." _

"_Derek, please. Let's go!" Casey whispered._

"_No." Derek said. "You think I hate her? Then you are even more stupid than you look! And that is saying something! Casey McDonald is one of the people I care about the most. You mess with her, you mess with me! No one can hurt her and get away with it." Casey stopped trying to pull away from Derek and looked up at his face. Had she heard right? He cared about her? She was one of the people he cared most about? Since when?_

"_I don't think you're someone to talk Derek." Max sneered. "Everyone knows you're a player too. Since when do you preach about being faithful? As if cheating is something you'd never do!"_

"_Please. If I had one of the most beautiful, smartest, caring woman as my girlfriend, I would not cheat on her!" Derek said forcefully. Casey's eyes started filling with tears again. This time not because of hurtful words, but words that made her heart flutter._

_Max snorted. "Are you implying that Casey is all that? Because if you are, you are wrong! Casey's not all that great; she seems much better from afar than up close. Not a very good girlfriend if you ask me. I mean, she's not even THAT pretty. Everyone knows she's picky with her boyfriends. I went out with her just to say I got to her, more than anything actually. " _

_Before Casey even registered those hateful words, Derek lunged forwards and punched Max straight in the face._

"_Derek!" Casey gasped._

_Amy let out a shrill scream. People started gathering around Derek and Max, who were now on the floor. Derek was on top of Max, repeatedly punching him in various parts of the body. The manager of Smelly Nellie finally came and broke up the crowd._

"_What's going on here!" he yelled. "Derek! Get off right now!" he attempted to pull Derek off, but to no avail. Casey had just stood there dumbly for a few seconds before she finally came to her senses. _

"_Derek!" She cried. "Get off of him! Derek please!" She went up to him and gently grabbed hold of his arm. Derek suddenly stopped punching Max and got up._

"_Derek! What is wrong with you! You are FIRED!" the manager yelled. "Now get out of here before I call the cops!" _

"_Derek, let's go." Casey whispered while pushing Derek out the door. When she glanced back, she saw Max with a bloody nose and scratches all over his body. Most of the crowd had disappeared. The manager was helping Max up while Amy crying like a banshee. When Casey shut the door behind her, she couldn't help but grin and think he finally got what he deserved._

_(End Flashback)_

After that incident, no one ever asked her personal questions anymore, in fear that her stepbrother would beat the living daylights out of them. In fact, it took 2 months for any guy to approach her.

Casey had been really affected by what Derek had said. His compliments and how he jumped to her defense gave her an over whelming happy feeling. She had been very confused and she finally realized that she had feelings for her stepbrother. She was hoping, waiting, for any sign that showed he cared for her the same way. But anything that he did could be seen two ways. One could see it as him returning her feelings, or that he was just showing some brotherly love. Casey did not want to make the mistake and misinterpret his actions and end up making a fool of herself and setting up a very awkward situation for them both. So Casey never made a move.

In the middle of her junior year, Noel, the boy she had co-starred with in her first school play, asked her out. Turned out he had a crush on her since the play they did together. Casey, hoping going out with Noel would make Derek jealous, said yes.

At first she was just using him. But after a while, she realized that she and Noel actually had a lot in common. She actually enjoyed his company. Before long, she started developing feelings for him. She actually saw him as her boyfriend, not just a tool to make Derek jealous.

Even though, she actually cared for Noel, she still had the overpowering feelings for Derek. At the end of her senior year, she realized it was time for change. Her relationship with Noel had run its course, and it was a good time to end it, especially since Noel was going to a college in the states. Casey told him that she still cared for him, but that she just wanted to be friends since they'd be starting college soon and long distance relationships don't work out. Noel agreed and they broke up amicably.

That summer seemed like the best time to let Derek know about her feelings. But all summer long, she was too afraid to let him know. There was at least a dozen times where she could've sworn that he was going to admit his feelings for her, but he never did. Before she knew it, they were both going off to college. Casey was dejected. She figured that if Derek truly had feelings for her, he would've told her sometime that summer. Since it never happened, she figured there was nothing to tell.

When Casey got to her school, she ran into Noel. Apparently, he decided that a college closer to home would be better. Casey believed it was fate. What were the odds that the pair of them would end up at the same college, walk down the same hall at the same time, both too absorbed in a book to notice where they're walking, and literally run into each other? Casey didn't think the odds were too high. So that's why she said yes when he asked her out.

They became official again, and their relationship was greater than before. Once again, Casey was truly happy with Noel. But there was still that piece of her heart that got tugged on every time she thought of Derek.

That's why when Noel asked her to marry him, she didn't answer. She knew that she had to have her answer. It was obvious that her feelings for Derek were _not_ going away anytime soon. She had to figure it all out before she fully committed her life to Noel.

The night before she left to meet up with the family, she wrote Derek a letter that explained her feelings. She planned on giving it to him during the vacation, but again, she proved to be a total failure. She chickened out every time she thought of giving it him.

The night before everyone headed home, Casey heard a noise downstairs. When she went to go investigate what it was, she saw Derek. This was her chance. She had to find out how he felt about her. After talking a bit, she figured out a way for him to reveal his feelings. She told him that Noel purposed to her.

There were two options; one, he'd tell her that she should marry Noel, and it'd mean that he didn't see her as anything but his lame stepsister. She'd go home and marry Noel and live a life she always dreamed of. Then there was option number 2. The option she wished from the deepest depths of her heart that would come true. That Derek would tell Casey he wouldn't allow her to marry Noel because he loved her more than life itself. They would become a couple and get married. They would then live a life that was filled with so much love and joy that Casey never thought was possible. Of course, option number 2 had some kinks to work out before they live happily ever after, but she still wished for it, no matter what the obstacles were.

When Derek told her she should marry him, her world came crashing down. She had honestly not been expecting that. She had thought that Derek truly had feelings for her. But he insisted that she marry another man. Casey knew the answer to the question that had been haunting her for nearly a decade. He didn't love her.

When Derek asked her those questions about Noel, she had answered honestly. But what Derek didn't know was more to it than the answers she had given.

Yes, Noel made Casey happy, made her feel safe, made her laugh. They did have things in common, she did see herself with him in the future and she really did love him.

But what Derek didn't know was that there was a person who made her even happier, made her feel even safer, made her laugh harder. There was a person who she saw her lead a better life with, a person who she had more in common with, and a person who she loved much more than she loved Noel. That person was Derek Venturi. And he didn't feel the same way.

Once Casey entered the room she was sharing with Lizzie, she went digging into her purse. After looking through her purse for a few seconds, she found it. The letter.

She gave it a long hard look. She brought it to her heart before whispering into the night, "I guess it was never meant to be."

Trying to control her sobs as not to wake up Lizzie, Casey ripped the letter into hundreds of little pieces before opening the window and letting the pieces fly into the night.

Casey slowly crawled into bed. As her sobs subsided, darkness started to cloud her vision. She could've sworn she heard some shuffling of feet in front of the door. She then indistinctly heard the front door open and shut. She vaguely wondered if Derek was leaving for good again before sleep completely claimed her.

**A/N: Awww… hey there peeps! Sorry this took forever to finish. **

**Ok, I know I said this was going to be shorter, but because I stuck that flashback in there, it got longer. This chapter was already insanely long (for my taste at least) so that's why it kinda rushed, especially at the end. **

**So again, please let me know if there's any typos, or if something was worded oddly or it doesn't make any sense. I think there were a few of those in here….**

**I WILL be writing a sequel. Just because I love writing so much, and because I know you all want a Dasey ending (including me)!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Now that you've read this chapter, review again! Lol. Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Look out for my sequel! (though it might take a while….) **


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